Clothes drier



June 10, 1952 A. R. CONSTANTINE 2,500,210

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Feb. 20, 1946 s Sheets-Shet 2 I N V EN TOR. A R THUR R. CONS TANT/NE AT TORNE Y June 10, 1952 A. R. CONSTANTINE 2,600,210

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Feb. 20, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 F IG. 3 INVENTOR.

ARTHURRGONSMNT/NE June 10, 1952 A. R. CONSTANTINE 2,600,210

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Feb. 20, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

IN V EN TOR. ARTHUR R. CONSENT/NE w/zam.

ATTORNEY Juhe 10, 1952 A. R. CONSIANTINE 2,600,210

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Feb. 20, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F IG 6 F IG. 7 36 37 INVENTOR. AR THURRGONS TA/v T/NE A TTORNE Y apparatus having a drum, means for ci Patented June 10, 1952 Arthur it. oeiistsiitine, South Rena Lita signer, 11y niesfie assignments, to Avcjo Ma'nu faj'et' ring Corporation notation of Delaware New York, N; Y.',- a cor Application tebmery 20, 1946', Serial he. eiaoii 1 This invention relates to clothes dryers f the rotating cylinder type having n eans to" ireiilate air into and out of said cylinder through a duct in which heat is provided. I I I I I It is a prirnary objeet of the present invention to provide an apparatus f0i dr ying clothes in which a revolvingdrurn is snpported and driven from the front thereof and having' rrieaiis' to insert clothes into the cylinder also ifrorn the front and also to provideair circulating and heating means allof which are accessible from the front of the machine. I I II II II It is a further objectto provide e clot air into and out of a rotating cylinder through a separate duct in such manner that lint is not collected on the cylinder and does notaecnii'iiilate in the passageway provided for air into and out of said cylinder. I c

The above and other obje'ts of the invention will be apparent on consideration of the renowing more detailed description and byreffeif'ehce to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and wherein: I I I? Figure 1 is a front v ew of the es""mh1' showing the drive, mechamsniarigthe op receiving the elothes, the front paheroi themachine being remove I p I II I II p Figure 2 is a side view pemy hseeti the several parts of the dryerjincluding I I eral units so arrangedas to provide-access from the front thereof. I I I I I I Figure 3 is a view at'the'fr'ont support ng and dividing panel and s ows the ,and Qut1-ei openings in the panel which is positio' d in front .of the cylindrical clothes reeeiving I Figure 4 is a View par el to the dividing panel shown n Figure 3 retrieved showing the front of the cylindrical clothes "receiving drum. I I I I I I I Figure 5 is a front view pi the nachine showing the air circulating 'Qlit sli heatingelenient in position relative to theiiilet 'and'outl't. II

Figure 6 is a side view r the heating l'eiiint showing its p'ositionin'the' giuet I II I Figure 7 is a top vie "for theair'Tfi iatih not showing the circlllatihg rah afid '(iiitl et arrangement Referring to the drawings, pasei iq'siipiiorts a sheet metal rear supporting panel; I I and'a front supporting'and dividing panel [2 spaces assholwn in Figure 2. "Ihefron't' panel I; has a" I opening [3 provided therein and the rear i I u p s ba man-A n' hep casing I5 is formed in theslia'peof'a'fiange'ditiibe 16 ieiiiis. (o1.- piaii having its fiang'ess'eclird to the inside iaces of rear panel I i and the front panel I 2; respectively. suitablehe tihsu eti g material it is provided ar'oiind the cylindrical member IS. A rotatable elothe's carrying or receiving cylinder I! has a diameter slightly less thanthe cylindrieal shaped casing l5 and ore length slightly lessthan the distance between'the front panel I 2 and the rear panel II and is supported for rotation in the cylindrical shaped outer casing l5. s'hortshaft l8 is secured to the; back wall of the rotatable cylinder and this shaft supported in the bearing l I The clothes cylinder II; as shown in i ur 4 ha n sw ethearts. m e 19 made up of relatively largenie'sh screen as shown ni w eu a t e s 'e ibin f ip ef ai rality of itadially extending pokes 20. These Spokes 20 have their puterends secured to the 'circiinifer'ence of the cylinder ll and-have their inner ends secured to a tubular rfieinb'er' 2| which i's-of such'lengthand shape; as shown Figure 2, as to eggtend through the opening 13 in the panel t2. The panel I2, as' s'hown in Figure Lhas' roller in hers 22' and zs'seeured theretoin such position'tliat the tiihijiiei in eihhe'r zi and" the cylinder re supported refsretetitiii thi b 1 this front snpport being in addition; t5 the rear support e ing [4 on the rear pea-e 1. The tubular nernb'er Z flared at its" inner end and, as shown in igures 2 and 4; is connected to the spokes 20 and to the annular' scjreened front Wall I -e A niotor 24 havihe a pulley 24a provides for rotation of the rotatable cylinder I! through a belt which drives a large pulley 26 with which rotates asmaller pulley 21 through a belt 28. The tuhular 2| serves a pulley for driving the cylinder l!- as wellas a central access" opening s; loading weteiothes-ihth the dryer and to remove the dry clothes therefrom he-space in the o ening l3 between the edge of said opening I3 and the tubular member 2| providesan annular passage concentric with tubular' member not ample capacity to permitthe inlet or air to the interior or the casing 15 and cylinder l]; I I

The ri nqpa ei 2 s qivh iii FigureB'has an Ql 'Il flEtIbpehlI ig Z Q EIld n inlet opening at; These two openingshoth coincide a's to axial distance from the axis of'rotation with the annular front wall ['0 (if cylinder I! so that Outlet Opening 29 and the inltopenin'g 30 are in efiect inlet and outlet openings into and out of the rotatable cylinder 11 through the annular front with IS thereo f. The outlet opening 20 has" a circulating blower impeller 31 mounted for rotation adjacent thereto so that rotation of such blower will draw air out from the outlet 23 into the blower housing 32 which is mounted upon the front panel l2. The outlet 33 of the blower housing exhausts into a conduit 34 which is also supported upon the front panel [2. This conduit34 extends horizontally across the top of the panel 12 and turns downwardly into a vertical conduit section 35 terminating and covering the inlet opening 38, so that air drawn from the outlet 29 by the air circulating impeller is forced into the inlet from the vertical conduit section 35.

The conduit 34 as shown in Figure 7 is of greater width than the blower outlet 33, the conduit being provided with an offset front wall 36 and such front wall is provided with an outlet opening 3! positioned near the righthand end of the conduit 34 and above the vertical conduit section of the downwardly extending conduit. This outlet has a scoop 33 provided adjacent the inner edge thereof of such width as to be only a small amount greater in height than the offset in the front wall 35. Such construction assures that the scoop 38 will divert or pick up air from a portion of the conduit 34, which will represent a relatively slow moving portion of the air stream in conduit 34 and will therefore remove only a small portion of the air passing through said conduit and through the outlet 31.

An electrical heating element 33 is supported in the vertical conduit section 35 substantially over or adjacent to the inlet opening 39 in the panel l2. This heating element 39 made up of electrical resistance wire is preferably inclined in the conduit as shown in Figure 6.

For the purpose of providing power for rotating the circulating blower impeller 3| a belt 49 is provided from the motor 24 to a pulley ii on the blower housing 32.

A cabinet may enclose the unit as shown and is preferably made up of a back panel 42, a top panel 43, side panels 44 and 45 and a front panel 46. The front panel 46 has a door 4'! mounted thereon and such front panel also is provided with a tubular inwardly extending member 48 which tubular member extends inwardly toward the tubular member 2 l a space between the ends of the member 48 and 2i being only an amount sufiicient for clearance when the cylinder H and the member 21 rotate. The outlet 31 discharges to the atmosphere exteriorly of the cabinet through an exhaust outlet (not shown) in the front panel 46.

The door 41 may be provided with a glass 43 and when opened, clothes to be dried are inserted into the cylinder I! through the openings provided by the tubular members 43 and 2|. The cylinder IT is preferably provided with a plurality of baflies 59 and on rotation the clothes to be dried are tumbled in the cylinder by the rotation thereof.

During rotation of the cylinder the previously described air circulating system on the front panel 12 causes air to be circulated out from the cylinder I! through the outlet 23 through the conduits 34 and 35 over the heating element 39 and into the cylinder I! again through the inlet 30. This circulation is forced by the blower impeller unit 3i and 32 and a major portion of the air drawn out from the cylinder and into this conduit is again forced back into the cylinder 17, a small portion only being allowed to be ejected from the outlet 31.

The arrangement of the unit so that the drive motor and all major rotating mechanism and heating element are positioned in the front portion of the dryer is considered an advantage from the standpoint of accessibility for servicing the machine as the front panel 45 or portions thereof may be removed for the purpose of servicing any of the major units of the dryer.

It is an important feature also that the open screen covered front wall IQ of the drum or cylinder I! will not collect lint since it is continuously rotating alternately past the air outlet 29 and the air inlet 30 and therefore subjected alternately to air passage in opposite directions so that any lint which may be built up on one side of the screen as it passes the air outlet 29 will immediately be blown off as it passes the air inlet 39. This arrangement of a perforated or screen like wall on a rotating member alternately subjected to air currents in opposite directions for the purpose of creating a circulation of air within the drum is a means of providing such circulation through a screen Without accumulation of lint. If an outlet were provided in a front of a drum and an inlet at the rear of the drum, both of which opened into the drum and provided with a screen, lint would collect on both of such openings and such a construction would not be as satisfactory from a lint accumulation standpoint as the above described construction. It is important also to consider the means disclosed herein whereby a minimum of lint is exhausted from the machine with the air which is allowed to flow through the outlet passage 3?. This is accomplished by locating the limited outlet 31 in a portion of the air stream where a minimum velocity of circulation exists and away from the normal path of the air thrown from the impeller.

Although the invention has been illustrated by reference to a specific structure found practical in actual operation, it is intended that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical portion and front and back walls, said front wall having an opening affording access to said cylinder and one of said walls being perforate, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, means interconnecting said front and rear panels and enclosing said cylinder, on of said panels having spaced openings confronting the perforate wall of said cylinder, an air duct disposed exteriorly of said one panel and communicating with the openings in said one panel, whereby said openings serve as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, and means for heating the circulating air.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, including means for diverting and ejecting a portion of the circulating air from said air duct.

3. In a device of the character described, a rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said perforate front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, means interconnecting said front and rear panels and enclosing said cylinder, said front panel and said front wall having aligned openings providing access to the interior of said cylinder, said front panel having additional openings gemm formed therein, one on each side of its access opening, in confronting relation to the perforate front wall of said cylinder, an air circulating duct on the outer side of said front panel and communicating with said additional openings, where by said additional openings serve as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, and means for heating the circulating air;

4. In a device of the character described, a

.rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a

perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall carrying a bearing rotatably supporting the back end of said cylinder, a front panel adjacent said front wall, means interconnecting said front and rear panels and enclosing said cylinder, a tubular section carried by said front wall of said cylinder and providing a central opening for said cylinder, said front panel having an opening and said tubular section extending through said opening in said front panel, means rotatably supporting said tubular section adjacent said front panel, an air circulating duct mounted upon the outer side of said front panel, said front panel having spaced openings confronting said perforate front wall and communicating with said air duct and serving as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, means for heating the circulating air, and means for effecting rotation of said cylinder, whereby to cause movement of any given confronting portion of said perforate front wall successively past said inlet and outlet openings to thereby prevent the accumulation of lint on said perforate front wall by the alternate reversing of the direction of air fiow into and out of said cylinder at said given portion.

5. In a device of the character described, a rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall carrying a bearing rotatably supporting the back end of said cylinder, a front panel adjacent said front wall, means interconnecting said front and rear panels and enclosing said cylinder, a tubular section carried by said front wall of said cylinder and providing a central opening for said cylinder, said front panel having an opening and said tubular section extending through said opening in said front panel, means rotatably supporting said cylinder adjacent said front panel, an air circulating duct mounted upon the outer side of said front panel, said front panel having spaced openings confronting said perforate front wall and communicating with said air duct and serving as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, a blower for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, means for heating the circulating air, driving means for effecting rotation of said cylinder including a driving motor and a belt driven from said motor and passing over the upper outer surface of said tubular section and utilizing the outer surface of said tubular section as a pulley, and means for driving said blower from said motor.

6. In a device of the character described, a rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said perforate front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, said front panel and said front wall having aligned openingsproviding access to the interior of said cylinder, said front panel having additional openings formed therein, one on each side of its access-opening, in confronting relation to the perforate front wall of said cylinder, an air circulating duct on the outer sideof said front panel and communicating with said addi'- tional openings, whereby said additional openings serve as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and thr ""gh said cylinder via said inlet and outletopen-ings', and means for heating the circulating air.

7. In a device of thecharacterdescribed, a rotatable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall carrying a bearing rotatably supporting the back end of 'said'cylinder, a front panel adjacent said front wall, a tubular section carried by said front wall of saidcylinder and providing a central'openingfor said cylinder, said front panel having an opening and said tubular section extending through said opening in said front panel, means rotatably supporting said tubular section adjacent said front panel, an air circulating duct mounted upon the outer side of said front panel, said front panel having spaced openings confronting said perforate front wall and communicating with said air duct and serving as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, means for heating the circulating air, and means for effecting rotation of said cylinder, whereby to cause movement of any given confronting portion of said perforate front wall successively past said inlet and outlet openings to thereby prevent the accumulation of lint on said perforate front wall by the alternate reversing of the direction of air flow into and out of said cylinder at said given portion.

I8. In a device of the chaarcter described, a rotatabl cylinder having a cylindrical portion and front and back walls, said front wall having an opening afiording access to said cylinder and one of said walls being perforate, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, one of said panels having two openings spaced from the axis of rotation of said cylinder and confronting the perforate wall of said cylinder, an air circulating means positioned on said one panel adjacent one of said openings thereby to draw air through said opening and outwardly from said cylinder, air heating means adjacent said other spaced opening in said panel whereby air is caused to be drawn into said cylinder over said heating means.

9. In a device of the character described, a rotatabl cylinder having a cylindrical portion and front and back walls, said front wall having an opening affording access to said cylinder and one of said walls being perforate, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, means interconnecting said front and rear panels and enclosing said cylinder, one of said panels having two openings spaced from the axis of rotation of said cylinder and confronting the perforate wall of said cylinder. an air duct circulating means disposed exteriorly of said one panel and coinmunicating with the openings in said One panel whereby said openings serve as inlet and outlet openings for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said duct and through said cylinder via said inlet and outlet openings, and means for heating the circulating air.

10. In a device of the character described, a rorotable cylinder having a cylindrical wall, a perforate front wall and a back wall, a rear panel adjacent said back wall, a front panel adjacent said perforate front wall, means rotatably supporting said cylinder for rotation between said panels, said front panel and said front wall having aligned openings providing access to th interior of said cylinder, said front panel having two openings spaced from the axis of rotation of said cylinder and confronting the perforate wall of said cylinder, an air circulating duct on the outer side of said front panel and communicating with said two openings, whereby said two openings serve as inlet and outlet openings, respectively, for said air duct, means for effecting forced circulation of air through said air duct '8 and through said cylinder viasaid inlet and outlet openings, and for heating the circulating air.

ARTHUR R. CONSTANTINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,358,599 White Nov. 9, 1920 1,762,594 Seifert June 10, 1930 2,137,376 Altorfer Nov. 22, 1938 2,177,258 Jares Oct. 24, 1939 2,262,186 Lindberg Nov. 11, 1941 2,810,680 Dinley Feb. 9, 1943 2,314,748 White Mar. 23, 1943 2,354,567 Adt July 25, 1944 2,389,433 Hough Nov. 20, 1945 2,414,154 Leef Jan. 14, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 366,912 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1932 

